First Great Western: Government announces additional rail funding

In response to the Government’s announcement that it is to invest more than £9billion in railway upgrades across England and Wales, First Great Western Managing Director, Mark Hopwood said:

“This is great news for rail passengers and the industry as a whole we welcome the government’s additional investment in the Great Western network.

“Extending electrification beyond the mainline was part of the recommendations we made as part of the Department for Transport’s consultation. This news not only strengthens the case for the original electrification plan, but also extends the economic benefits to the wider communities on the network.

“This paves the way for faster, more reliable services and makes the most of planned investment in new trains, whoever has the honour of running this franchise behind April next year.

“We look forward to working with partners to help develop the schemes further.”

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The extension of electrification beyond Cardiff to Swansea may well mean that there can be fewer diesel/bi-mode and more electric trains in the future.

Transport Secretary Justine Greening announced the growth-boosting railway upgrades across England and Wales this morning.

The full £9.4bn programme of improvements to the rail network will meet the needs of intercity passengers, commuters and freight up to the end of this decade while the Government continues to work on High Speed 2 to deliver rail capacity for the British economy in the decades to come, the Government states.